putnam



WITNESSES:

(No Model.) Y

T. A. B. PUTNAM.

INSULATED RAIL JOINT. No. 284,668. Patented S 3 s'net'- s eeee 1.

pull, 1883.

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T.. A. B. PUTNAM. INSULATBD RAIL JOINT.

Patented Sept. 11, 1883.

E S S E N H W By his Attorneys, -V wwl me/@M N. PETERS. Pnmrlilhognphf wnmngum D (L (NoModel.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

T.A.B.PUTNAM. INSULATED RAIL JOINT.

No; 284,668. Patented sept. 11, 188s..

'f .E-'I'LQZ'v il, E, cb E Q i E Tw C/ C @d2 Q w/- i v2 @J2 y* 0 h C) I5 y Fiqe @N By his Attorneys,

N. FETERS. Phowlnhegnpner. wauw-31m. D. c.

@2M @Mm WM' y UNITED STATES PATENT i OFFICE.

rHEoDoRE A. te. PTNAM, or NEw YORK, N. Y.

INSULATED RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0.'284,6`68, dated September 11, 1883.

Application filed March 9.0, 1883.

their ends a plate of insulating material which is conformed to their cross section; but to 'firmly clamp the rails together, after the manner of a fish-joint, without establishing an electrical connection from one rail to the other through the clamping devices, has been found difficult of accomplishment. Attempts have been made to construct an insulating-joint by using {ish-plates of insulating material-as vulcanized fiber-with the ordinary bolts; but sh-plates of this character have not strength enough to resist the strain due to the contraction and expansion of the rails. According to another method, iron or steel fish-plates are v used with a sheathing of vulcanized liber or other insulating material interposed between them and the rails, and the bolts are sheathed with insulating material; but this construction is defective, in that the sheathing on the bolts is liable to wear through and establish metallic contact between the rails andthe fish-plates. The most successful method hitherto used, so far as I am aware, is to clamp the rails -between massive beams of hardtough wood, grooved to conform to the rails, using ordinary bolts and dispensing with fish-plates; but this construction is expensive and short-lived, and is not readily applicable to elevated roads, because of the guard-rails being in the way.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my improved joint.

Figure l is a vertical transverse section through the rail and guard-rails of an elevated railway structure provided with my joint, cut inthe plane of the line l l in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section ofthe same, cut in the (No model.)

plane of the line 2 2 in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the fish-plate and re-enforce bar removed. Fig. 4 is a side and'end elevation of one of the insulating-sheaths removed. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of my rail-joint applied to a surface railway, cut along the lines 5 5 in Figs.` 6 and 7. Fig. 6 is a plan of the same. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section thereof, cut along the line 7 7 in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a transverse section of a modification, cut along the line 8 S in Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a plan thereof, partly in horizontal section; and Fig. 10 is a horizontal section of a modified construction of fish-plate and re-enforce bar.

I will first 'describe the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 7'.k

Let A A designate the rails, B B the usual ties or sleepers, and C C in Figs. l and 2 the longitudinal guard-rails or stringers used f on elevated railways. Two ties are shown under the rail-j oint. D D are the usual sh-plates, of steel or iron,

and between these and theV rails are Iplacedr sheaths a a, of vulcanized liber or other insulating material. sheaths in side and end elevation. Between the abutting ends of the two rails is placed a plate of insulating material, I), Fig. 2, which conforms in outline to the rail ends. Thus the rails are perfectly insulated from each other and from the fish-plates. Against each fish- .plate is placed a re-enforce bar or plate, E,

which may be made ofcast-iron. These re-enforce bars are strong and rigid, and their function is in part to keep the fish-plates pressed firmly against the rails. The re-enforce bars are insulated from the rails, either by extending the sheaths a a below the sh-plates and down along the base of the rails, Fig. I, or by leaving a space between the two, Fig. 5. Each rail is pierced with two holes through its web, near its end, in the same manner as when the ordinary sh-joint is to be used. These holes may be somewhat elongated to allow for expansion and contraction. Two pins, c c, enter these two holes from one side, and are fixed .either in one of the fish-plates D or in one of there-enforce bars E, as preferred. Fig. 3 shows the pins as iiXed `in the fishplate, which is done, preferably, by riveting,

Fig. 4 shows one of these IOO and the re-enforce bar provided with holes or sockets, into which the ends of the pins may fit. Thus each pin cprojects to one side into the hole in the web of the rail, and on the other side into the hole or socket in the re-enforce bar, whereby the three parts-this one rail and the "sh-plate and reenforce on vone side of the joint-are all connected together in such manner that longitudinal motion of either part relatively to the' others is prevented, except that the rail may move as far as theelongation of its holes will permit. One rail (the rail A) is thus connected to one fish-plate and re-enforce (those lettered D and E) by the two pins letteredc c', and the other rail (A2) is in like manner connected by pins er" c2 to the fish-plate D2 and re-enforee El on the opposite side. Each sheath a is pierced with two holes, Fig. 4, coinciding with the two pins c cin the adjoining fish-plate, while its remaining portion is imperforate. The pins c c are not long enough to project through the web of the rail, but stop at its opposite side, or shortly before reaching its opposite side, as shown, and hence terminate against or oppo-` site the imperforate portion of the sheath a, whereby they are insulated from the opposite shsplate. Each rail is' thus connected electrically with one fish-plate and re-enforce only, and as the opposite fish-plates and re-enforces are insulated from each other,the current finds no path by .which to travel from one rail into the other.

`So far as described, no means is provided to prevent the rails in contracting from drawing with them each the one fish-plate and re-enforce to which it is connected, so that the plates and rc-enforces on opposite sides would slide in relatively opposite directions. It is obvious that some means must be applied to connect the two re-enforce bars or the fish-plates together, and so prevent this relative movement; and it is equally obvious that the means employed for this purpose must not establish a metallic or electrical connection between the two re;en force bars or fish-plates. It is preferable, for the sake of simplicity and cheapness in the joint, that the means for thus connecting the opposite re-,enforce bars or sh-plates shall also serve as the fastening for holding down the rails to the ties. I have shown two methods of accomplishing both these results-the one in Figs. 1 and 2, the other in Figs. 5 to 7-and in both I have adopted the plan of connecting the re- (nforce bars to each other through the medium of the ties, whereby a strong connection is established and the desired insulation is easily attained.

In Figs. land 2, FFare wedges, two of which are arranged between each re-enforce bar E and the adjacent guard-Stringer C. The inclined side of each wedge is turned toward the re-enforce bar and fits into a socket or recess, d, therein, being confined between the shoulders e e at the end of each such recess. Thus the reinforce-bar is prevented from moving longitudinally relatively to itswedges. `Each wedge is pierced'with a vertical hole, and through this is passed a bolt, screw, or spike, (preferably a bolt, f,) which passes down into or through the tie B and connects the wedge firmly to the tie. As the bolt is tightened it draws down the wedge, and the latter, being seated against the guard-Stringer C, forces the re-enforce bar E toward the rail. the rails can be as firmly clamped together as by the use of the ordinary fish-j oint.

j In Figs. 5, 6, and 7 is shown a connection better adapted to an ordinary surface railway, where there are no guard-stringers. The reenforce bars E E have flanges h h, which rest on the ties, and they are fastened to the ties by diagonal bolts f f, which pass through diagonal holes cast in transverse ribs or flanges on the re-enforce bars. On tightening these bolts the re-enforce bars are not only forced together, but also fastened firmly down to the ties.

In Figs.- l, 2, and 3, I have also shown another feature of construction-namely, the use of short pins g g, which correspond to the pins c c, except that they do not enter the web of Vthe rail. These may be riveted in the fishplate D, Fig. 3, or they may be cast in the reenforce -E and pass through holes in the fishplate. rIheir only function is'to connect the re-enforce bar and fish-plate more strongly together in longitudinal direction. They are omitted in Figs. 5 and 7, where the ends of the By this meansl pins' c c are relied upon to make this connection. It is not, however, essential that the fish-plates and re-enforce bars be connected ytogether through these pins, as they may have any other interlocking connection whereby stop-shoulders on one part shall fit against corresponding shoulders on the other.

Fig. l0 shows the fish-plate provided with two pins, c c, which project beyond it on the side toward the rail, but not on the side toward the re-enforce bar. The latter'extends beyond the fish-plate at both ends, and there projects toward the rail, whereby the fsh-plate is confined beneath these two turned-in ends.

Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate a third method of connecting the opposite fish-plates together in such manner as to prevent their relative tlongitudinal movement, this being here accomplished without so connecting them to the reenforce bars. The sh-plates D D are of the ordinary flanged kind, and the diagonal bolts ff pass through notches in their flanges, there` by preventing their longitudinal movement relatively to the ties. The reenforce bars are not continuous, or do not extend from end to end of the fish-plates, but are in sections, being, in fact, short clips or braces E E, the only function of which is to press the iishplates against the rails. In Fig. 9 one of the r'e-enforce clips or braces E is omitted to show the notched flange on the fish-plate beneath it. Various other methods may be applied for producing these results.

It will be readily understood that in` the IOO IIO

construction shown in Figs. l to 7 the fishplate might be omitted if the reenforce bars were formed to fit to the rails and made of wrought metal, or were otherwise given sufficient strength to enable them to withstand the strain to which fish-plates are usually subjected. For instance, the re enforce bars might bemade of wrought iron or steel, or be made of cast-iron withasteel face. These constructions are possible, but 'I prefer the cnstruction shown, because of its superior cheapness. Essentially, therefore, the fish-plate and re-enforce constitute but one piece or element when the joint is applied.

I claim as my invention-e l. A railway -rail joint consisting of the combination, with the rails, of fish-plates or equivalent devices, between which the vrails are clamped, each of said fish-plates connected to one of the rails in such manner as to limit the'longitudinal movement of the railrelatively to it, a sheathing of insulating material interposed between each fish-plate and the rail with which it is not so connected, and a plate of insulating material interposed between the abutting ends of the rails, whereby the two rails are insulated from each other, substantially as set forth.

2. A rail-joint consisting of the combination, with the rails, of fish-plates or equivalent devices, between lwhich the rails are clamped, pins or projections connecting each of said plates with one of the rails, a sheath of insulating material interposed between each of said plates and the rail with which it is not connected, and a suitable insulating connec, tion between said fish-plates or equivalents,

whereby they are prevented from moving longitudinally relatively to each other, substantially as set forth.

3. A rail-joint consisting of the combination, with the rails and ties, of iish-plates or equivalent devices, between which the rails are clamped, pins projecting from each of said plates and engaging holes in the web of one of 4 5 the rails, whereby each rail is connected to but one flsh-plate, a sheath of insulating material interposed between Ieach rail and the sh-plate with which it is not connected, and suitable fastenings for connecting said fishplates or equivalents rigidly to the ties, and so preventing their longitudinal movement relatively to each other, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of rails A A, ties B B, fish-plates l) D, pins c c, re-enforce bars E E, connected to the fish-plates by abutting shoulders, limiting -their relative longitudinal motion, and insulating-sheaths a a, substantially as set forth. y

5. The combination, with rails A A, ties B B, and guard-stringers C C, of lish-plates l) D, insulating-sheaths a a, pins c c, re`-enforcc bars E E, wedges F F, and bolts, screws, or spikes ff, substantially as set forth.

6. A fish-plate for an insulated railwayrail joint, provided with a pin or pins, fastened in it and projecting from it on the side which is designed to fit against the web of the rail, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

v'IHEODORE A. B. PUTNAM.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR C. FRAsER, HENRY CONNETT. 

